History and Description of the Crystal Palace
and the Exhibition of the World’s Industry in 1851

Tallis' book, published in 1852, gives a vibrant account of the Great Exhibition, a key event of the Victorian period.

John Tallis (Author), J. G. Strutt (Edited by)

9781108026727, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 19 May 2011

202 pages, 42 b/w illus.
29.7 x 21 x 1.1 cm, 0.5 kg

In May 1851, the doors opened on the Great Exhibition, a celebration of British industry and international trade that spawned numerous imitations across the globe. The scale of the exhibition was immense and publishers responded quickly to the demand for catalogues, guidebooks and souvenir volumes. In a marketplace swamped with exhibition literature, Tallis' three-volume History and Description of the Crystal Palace, originally published in 1852 and reproduced here in the 1854 edition, quickly established itself as the definitive history for middle-class readers. Illustrated with high-quality steel-engraved plates of the most popular and eye-catching exhibits, Tallis' book provides a fascinating contemporary account of this cultural and commercial highlight of the Victorian age, and reveals the mind-set of a society at the peak of its imperial power. Volume 3 describes displays of machinery and the 'Ladies' Department', the close of the exhibition, and the Palace's new site in Sydenham.

1. Warren's lily and bee
2. Sculpture concluded
3. Machinery
4. Fountains
5. Horology
6. Works in precious metals
7. Carriages
8. The Ladies' department
9. Gleanings and reminiscences continued
10. Provincial visitors
11. A German visitor to the Exhibition
12. Artistic taste
13. Opinions of the Press
14. Pictorial art
15. Approaching end of Great Exhibition
16. Closing of the Great Exhibition
17. Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Economic history [KCZ]